Love: A Guide For The Romantically Impaired
by NightBirdxx
Summary: Gakuen AU. Tenten, a normal student at Konoha High with a distaste of anything romantic, meets Neji, a boy who just moved back into the neighborhood and who may or may not have something to do with his father's death. Is there anything better in high school than love and betrayal? Other pairings: NaruHina, SasuSaku and more if I feel like it.


I didn't believe in high school love stories. Because things just don't work that way. A girl doesn't have a crush on the guy, and the guy oh so happens to have a crush on her back. They don't bump into the hallways and as they gather their books, their hands would brush against each other, and then they'd kiss right there. No. Love stories don't work that way.

The girl, she'll have a crush on him, that much is for sure. The guy? Well he'd be oblivious or he wouldn't care. There is no such thing as love at first sight. Romeo and Juliette is such a foolish love story. I tried to lock my heart away, to keep myself from getting hurt with senseless hopes. Doesn't mean that I've never had a crush. Of course I've had crushes, I'm a hormone ridden teenage girl. But my beliefs yet far have prevented me from falling into anything deeper... _love_.

My mom told me to be careful with something as fragile as love, the day we watched together as my father driving away from the house with his pregnant girlfriend in his passenger seat. I was only ten, but even today, I'll never forgive him. He left my mother, who never went to college and didn't have any experiences with jobs, and I to fend for ourselves. I remember the day he turned his back on us, oh, I remember it. His emotionless eyes, his blank expression. His cold voice as he exited my home.

"To bad." Those words still ringing in my ears.

But all these beliefs I kept to protect my heart from harm dissolved. All because of _him_.

* * *

"Tenten, you'll have to fall in love one day." Ino looked at me, "Not _all_ men are... you know... assholes."

I sighed again. We've had this conversation many times before. "It's not that they are or not, it's just that..."

"That, what?" Sakura questioned me, cocking an eyebrow.

"That... you know what? Never mind."

I quickened my pace, something that I did frequently when they talked of touchy subjects. The school halls were bustling. Students rushing here and there, going to different classes for study period. Study period was once a week, Fridays, last period, where students went to any class they chose, to catch up or to ask help from teachers. My friends, Hinata, Sakura, Ino and I were heading for art class, since we had nothing better to do with our time. The two of them fell silent, and Hinata just trailed behind as usual. Honestly, I didn't mind for their love lives. If fact, I thought it was pretty cute. Especially Hinata. The fact that the quietest, shyest girl in all of Konoha High has a crush on the loudest knucklehead of all time was funny yet adorable at the same time. Two complete polar opposites. Think about it.

Finally, we reached the doors of the of the art studio. Walking in, I breathed in happily the familiar scents of paint and air conditioning. I nodded a Kurenai-sensei. "Good afternoon, sensei."

"Hello, girls." She smiled sweetly at us, her unusually coloured eyes shining warmly. "How are you ladies doing today?"

"V-very well, sensei. And y-you?" Stuttered Hinata.

"I'm doing fine, thank you. Take a seat anywhere you like." The four of us all took a spot at the usual table, in the back corner by the window. The class was empty except for us and Kurenai-sensei. Just as we seatled in our seats Asuma-sensei, our history teacher, poked his head through the old wooden doors. "Kurenai-san," He said, oblivious of our presence, "Fancy meeting you here."

Kurenai hid a smile and tilted her head in our direction hoping he'd get the clue, "How about we talk outside."

His eyebrows knitted together. "Outside? Why, we're alone-" He noticed Kurenai's attempt to warm him that, no, in fact they were not alone as he thought they were, and he saw us, "O-oh! Hi ladies, didn't see ya there." He turned back to Kurenai, jabbing his thumb to the corridor. "Yeah. Outside."

Kurenai got up to leave. "I'll be right back girls. Be good, okay?"

"Hai, Kurenai-sensei." We answered in perfect harmony.

Once she stepped outside out of earshot, Ino wiggled her eyebrows. "Well, well, well. Something gossip worthy, right under our noses."

"Oh, give them some privacy, Ino," Sakura giggled.

Ino smirked. "They're totally fucking."

We stiffed our laughs. I smiled, enjoying the moment. It wasn't everyday one could get a break from all the drama and enjoy time with friends. The warm afternoon sun streaked through the windows, warming my face. I pulled out a blank canvas, soaking in the rare time of peace. My brush was just centimeters away from the canvas, when a familiar loud voice interrupted my focus.

"Are you serious?" The noisy blond blared as he walked into the room, followed by Sasuke, Shikamaru, Kiba, Chouji, Shino and finally Lee.

"God, do you have to be so loud, dobe?" Sasuke flinched, his eardrums imploding.

"Teme!" Naruto shouted back. Then he turned and saw us. "Hey guys! What's up?" He grinned, walking towards our table. They took a seat at the table next to us, Naruto taking the seat closest to Hinata. The poor girl had turned beet red, fighting back the urge to pass out.

"Hinata-chan?" He asked, putting a hand on her forehead, "What's wrong? You seem a little hot too. Hey are you ok-AYYYY!" The last part he shouted, because Hinata had fainted in his arms, overwhelmed with the situation she was in. Naruto shook her by the shoulders. "Hinata! Hey Hinata-chan, are you okay?...!"

I stared at him, exasperated at his level of ignorance. "...Baka..." I face palmed.

"I better go take her to the nurse!" He panicked, trying to hoist her on his back.

"I don't think that'd the the best choice," Sakura cut in, taking poor little red-faced Hinata from him. "I think I'll be the one to take her to the nurse."

Naruto was about to say something when Kurenai-sensei and Asuma-sensei stepped in. "What's going on in here?" Asuma-frowned, "We only left for five minutes, I mean, geeze guys..."

I rolled my eyes as Naruto babbled on and on about our current situation, and how it came to be that a blushing Hyuga was passed out in Sakura's arms. Sakura, in the meanwhile, was dragging Hinata to the nurse's office.

"Troublesome." Shikamaru yawned.

_Couldn't have said it better myself, _I mentally agreed.

* * *

Finally the last bell rung. "Woo hoo!" I cheered, "Weekend here we come!"

The four of us raced down the stairs, bolting as quickly as we could. Surprisingly it was Hinata who arrived first.

Ino pulled her school bag over her shoulder, "Girls, get your stuff ready! Sleepover a my place!"

I laughed. All our houses were rather close to each other (walking distance, really), all but Hinata's but it was okay, since she lived close to the school. Someone would host the party (Ino) and they'd take the bus down, wait for Hinata to collect her stuff, take the bus down to their houses, then Ino and Hinata waited at Ino's place while Sakure and I got our stuff and walked over to Ino's together. We usually this around once every two weeks, so it became very routine of us.

The bus stopped next to Hinata's giant house, better know as the Hyuga mansion. The Hyugas were well known and even better well off. Their family businesses was among the top ten in all of Japan.

"Alright Hinata, we'll just be waiting outside. Hurry up now!" Ino shoo'd her away. As soon as she hurried through the door to her home *cough-goddamn-castle-cough* Ino turned to us, a grin plastered on her face, "Okay, wasn't that whole Naruto/Hinata thing the cutest thing you've ever seen?"

Even I smiled widely. Sakura squealed, "I wish Sasuke-kun would do something as sweet as that to me."

"What, make you faint?" I asked sarcastically.

Sakura sent a good hearted scowl my way. "No, stupid! I wouldn't mind if he'd offer to carry me to the nurse's office." She answered, dreamy eyed.

"And under what circumstances would you-"

"_Shhh,_ quit ruining my romantic daydreaming!"

* * *

I pressed the door bell and Sakura and I waited for Ms. Yamanaka to open the door.

When she did, she smiled happily at us. "Girls! Come in, come in. Ino-chan and Hinata-chan are waiting for you down stairs." We thanked her and rushed down stairs, greeted by the sight of Ino tackling Hinata.

"Admit it! You enjoyed it! Admit it!" Ino laughed as Hinata blushed a deep shade of red.

"Geeze," I whispered to Sakura, "I feel like I just stepped into every guy's fantasy."

Sakura watch as Ino pinned Hinata on the couch by the wrists. "Kinky." She giggled, loud enough so that the two other girls could hear, even over the loud blond.

Ino and Hinata looked up from their struggle and even Ino had the grace to blush. "P-perverts! I-it's not like that, I-I swear!" She stuttered in defence of her dignity.

"Sure it isn't."

Hinata looked like she was going to pass out again. "W-we... Only... Talk... Naruto?" She squeaked out, her lavender eyes wide.

"Relax. Hinata-chan, we're just joking," I laughed, "So... what's this about Naruto?" I smirked, wrapping my arms around her shoulder. "It's okay, you can tell us."

Ino and Sakura shared a scary looking grin, their eyes glinting with evil. The Hyuga gulped. "N-Naruto... I-I... Hand, forehead, t-too c-close!" She yelped quickly, hardly able to make full sentences anymore, her face flushed with embarrassment and... something else...

"Is this _love_, I smell?" Ino's grin widened.

"Why, I do believe it is!" Sakura taunted. "Hinata and Naruto, sitting in a tree!"

Ino and I joined in, "K-I-S-S-I-N-G!"

We laughed, just like we used to when we were young and carefree. We're all friends from the time we were still pretty young, like five-ish. But then shit hits the fan and stuff happened. When we were seven, Ino and Sakura both fell 'in love' for the same guy. That's when we started slowly drifting further away from each other. Hinata became shyer and more reserved, depressed even. I joined the Karate club to escape from the drama. Sakura and Ino soon developed a hatred for each other, something worse then the rivalry they both brought upon themselves. We each split off. Ino made new friends when she formed the "Sasuke fan-club". Sakura stuck with a different click, the popular crowd. I hung out with my friends from Karate, almost completely forgetting my old friends. I wanted to forget them. But Hinata had it the worst. She fell even deeper into depression, too far along and to shy to make anymore friends. She started self harming and we're all none the wiser, stuck in our own little bubbly worlds.

I cringed at the memory, snapping myself back to reality. A better reality where we're all sitting in Ino's basement, gossiping about boys and Hinata's little mishap with her crush. A reality where we'll always be friends, because we learned from our mistakes. I breathed a sigh of relief. I hate it when I remember things best left forgotten.

"So," Ino started, "Heard any new gossip lately?"

"Kurenai-sensei's pregnant." Sakura beamed, proud she was the only one with this piece of information.

"She's what now?"

"Pregnant. I overheard them talking outside in study period."

We all stared at her, wide-eyed. "But... Why didn't you tell us sooner?" I questioned, still quite shocked. Hinata, who was probably the closest with Kurenai-sensei then the rest of us, looked like a deer caught in headlights.

"Because I wanted to keep it a surprise for now. Didn't want any teachers to hear either," Sakura gloated, "figured it'd be quite embarrassing for them."

We sat there for a moment still contemplating the news. Well it was true that she was gaining weight. And that she'd randomly steal food from our lunch trays. And she had frequent mood swings and that she looked paler in the mornings and..._ How the hell didn't I figure this shit out yet?_

Ino coughed, awkwardly rubbing the inside of her forehead. "Well... Anything else?"

"I-I found out my cousin's going to start living in the Hyuga manor with us." Hinata stuttered.

I coughed. "Ummm..."

"So? No offence, but that's hardly good gossip at all." Sakura said resisting a epic face palm. _Down right random's a better way to put it.  
_

"His f-father passed recently a-and he'll be living with me... a-also..."

"Also what?" I quirked an eyebrow, mildly curious.

"Also, h-he's going to enroll in Konoha High."

The room fell into a semi-comfortable, semi-awkward silence. I leaned back into the couch, slight curiosity picking at my mind. Was he shy, like his cousin? Or was he loud like Kiba or Naruto? _The first one makes more sense, _I mused, _the male version of Hinata... The Hyugas were never a very loud bunch._

"Is he hot?" Ino, as per usal, interupted the quiet moment, her voice hardly hiding her excitment for a juicy gossip.

"I-Ino-chan!"

"What?" Ino asked innocetly, though devil horns were sprouting from her scalp.

"H-he's m-my cousin!" Hinata stared at Ino with a look of embarassment and disbelief. "I c-can't think of h-him like that!"

"Oh common, Hina-chan! There's no sin against thinking your cousin's hot!"

"Actually, I think there is..." Sakura commented from the background.

"EWW!" I laughed, no longer able to contain my mirth, "Ino has a _incest_ _fetish!_"

"Bitch!" Ino laughed, tackling me with fake anger

And such is how the time progressed. Needless to say we're a wild group of children.

* * *

I stared out the train window, a rock settling deeper and deeper in my stomach as the blurred scenery turned from healthy green vegetation to the concrete jungle of Konoha. My hometown.

My close family and I lived here with the rest of my family in the Hyuga manor. Once my mother passed away when I was around six years old, my uncle allowed my father and I to move away because Konoha held too many memories. _  
_

"Hello... I'm back." I whispered to the nothingness, my breath fogging the window a bit. I tried concentrating on everything else other then my growing sense of dread. The soothing feeling as the train rushed forward, the sound of the occasional slapping of a branch on the window. Nothing worked. I'm back where I started with nothing to save me.

I wondered how I was going to settle in, mid semester, in a new city, new school. Was I going to make the same mistakes I did back in my old town? Would I change without my father to guide me? _Then again it's your fault he's not here, _something at the back of my mind taunted me.

_Shut up, _I balled my hands into fists, _shut up, shut up, shut up!_

Around me, the world continued on its marry way, oblivious to my internal dilemma. My every muscle tensed as I tried to dispel the horrid memories, though that lone little voice continued to hiss in my ear. _Your fault. _

Suddenly the train pulled to a stop as a female voice called out from the intercom "_We have reached our final destination, Konoha. Please wait util the signal is given to receive your luggage. Thank you for using Fire Express and have a nice day._"

After the signal was given everyone hurried to collect their belongings and go. Ignoring my stiff rump after a seven hour long train ride I got my stuff and headed for the gates, where I was to meet my uncle. Briefly, I wondered if he'd changed. Though I hardly remember him at all. He was strict, yes, but nice. Once even he snuck me a candy before dinner. I smiled just the slightest at the memory.

I saw him waiting for me. He smiled a proper Hyuga smile and waved me over. "Neji," He started, though I can see his tiny smile inch a little wider, "My, you've grown."

He looked exactly the same that he did in one of the photographs we had hanging in the living room. Same eyes, same smile, though now he has more wrinkles. I smiled back and we shook hands. "Hello, Uncle. Long time no see."

"Indeed. We have much to catch up on." He said as we started to his car. Dropping my things in the back seat, he turned to me. "I apologize Hinata hasn't shown up. She had a little rendezvous with her friends."

Hinata... ah yes, my little cousin. "It's alright."

The rest of the drive home was rather silent. I was okay with it, because we both knew it was the best way to avoid discussing about my father. It was still a very touchy topic, and I'm sure my uncle picked that up. He was of course, still my uncle's brother.

He pulled into a huge mansion, ten times bigger than I remember. Taking a moment to stare at it's enormous size, I took a deep breath. I was going _live _here?

My room, as I later found out, was also rather big. A huge king sized bed propped against the wall right under a window, a walk-in closet, a _balcony. _My uncle dropped off my second suitcase. "You can unpack tomorrow if you like, I'm sure you're pretty tired."

I turned to him and bowed, "Thank you, Uncle."

"No problem..." He replied as he left my new room. "And... welcome back, Neji."

* * *

I woke up to the chirping of birds and sunlight streaming on my face. I rolled over, breathing in deeply to the smell of freshly washed bed sheets. It took me a moment to realize that this wasn't my own bed. Or room, for that fact. _So then... where am I? _The memories slowly seeped through, reminding me that no, this _wasn't_ my bed. The small digital clock on the night stand next to the bed read 1:37. In the afternoon. _Wow, I really slept in. _

Yawning largely, I somehow managed to force myself out of bed, still comfortably trapped in a lazy daze. Stretching my arms wide I yawned again. I jogged down stairs to snatch a piece of toast. The shock of the cold marble floor against my cold feet slowly woke me up, and my new reality slowly became clearer. I'm living here.

The mansion was pristine and white, as expected from the Hyuga family. Not one thing was out of place, and it gave off the modern and classy vibe with a touch of traditional.

I had just took my first bite when I heard the front door open.

"N-Neji-nee-san?" I turned to face the newcomer. There was only one person I remember who's ever called me that. She stood at the doorway of the kitchen, her raven blue hair much longer then I remember it being.

"Ah... Hinata-sama?" I tested the waters, hoping it was actually her, not some random distantly related relative.

"I-it's very g-good to see you again." She smiled and gave a slight bow.

"Like wise." I nodded my head in greeting. _She may look different... but she's still very the same. _I mentally remarked, remembering the same shy five year old girl.

"A-ano, I have to do something. S-see you around." She turned and jogged upstairs to what I assumed was her room. Shrugging, I turned back to my toast, taking another bite. _I'm back... __And it looks like not much has changed after all. _

* * *

"Bye guys!" I waved at them, shrugging my bag over my shoulder.

"Later." Sakura and Ino waved back. Hinata had already left for home and I had to go to karate. I checked my watch. 6:18. That'd give me enough time. Running toward my dojo, which was only several streets down from Ino's place (it was actually rather close to Hinata's place), I hoped Gai-sensei my gym teacher/insane karate sensei wouldn't be too heavy on the training today. I really didn't feel like working very hard.

Every Saturday night from seven to ten we'd have crazy intense "YOUTHFUL" training sessions that left me sore till Tuesday. Honestly I love him and whatnot, but Gai-sensei could be rather... exaggerated at times. And adding "Lee The Miny-Me" into the equation doesn't help my situation.

Well... all I could do is pray.

* * *

"Uncle?"

"Yes, Neji?" He looked up from his newspaper, checking the stocks probably.

"I'm going to go for a walk, okay?"

Hiashi looked at the clock hanging on the wall and frowned. "It's pretty late, are you sure?"

"Yeah, I need to stretch my legs a bit. I won't be too long." The truth was that, though the house was very big indeed, I felt a little cramped up. It wouldn't anyone hurt to take a little walk around just to get the feel of the neighbor hood again.

"Okay. Stay safe."

The cool October night air slapped my face a bit as I stepped outside. I smelled the familiar sent of fallen leaves hanging in the breeze, and pulled my leather jacket a little tighter around me. Ghosts of memories clouded my mind as I walked down the open side walk. My mother holding my hand as we walked to the grocery store together. Me sitting on my father's shoulder so we could get a better view of the passing parade. I shook my head. When I looked up I realized I was standing next to the old park that my parents would take me to occasionally as a treat.

A part of me itched to walk through the park, the young Neji who was never plagued with cruel fate. I turned my eyes from the park, regret creeping around my heart like a cold hand. I continued my walk, quickening my pace in a small hope to forget. I let out a breath I din't know I was holding, marveling slightly as it swirled and disappeared into the night.

Just like my parents did.

* * *

A-N: Surprise! I'm back! I told you I'm completely inconsistent I hope you already realized that. I'm not sure how long it'll take for me to update my other works... or if I will... sorry bout that... Also, Gakuen. I know. BUT I LOVE IT OMG. NO REGRETSSS!

The pairing are as such:

Nejiten (duh)  
Naruhina (Hinata is so fucking uke I don't know why I love her so much but she's too damn cute)  
Sasusaku  
Inochou or Saino, idk, if you want, vote in the replies. Actually, I may even put up a poll on my account. idk.

If you have more pairings you'd like to see, leave a comment or pm me I guess, and I just might add it in.

'Nother warning: This one fic may have a few more -coughcough- kink scenes. NOT SEX! just... you know... a little hot at times... IT'S HIGH SCHOOL OKAY.

SHAMELESS SUGARY ROMANCE THAT'LL GIVE YOU CAVETIES AND PLOT TWISTS THAT WILL TWIST YOUR GUTS MUAHAHAHAHA

-NBX


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